4 Arab states amongst world’s worst for expats

Kuwait is the world’s worst country for foreign nationals to live in, a new survey released by InterNations has revealed.

The Gulf state is joined by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar in the top 10 worst expat destinations in 2016.

Respondents ranked the Gulf states badly on the Quality of Life Index, making them amongst the worst in the world.

Firstly, expats are generally dissatisfied with leisure activities available in the region: only the UAE does better than the worldwide average, with 38 per cent of expats expressing complete satisfaction with local leisure options. In comparison, only five per cent of respondents in Saudi Arabia say the same.

The cost of living and long working hours were also factors which caused the countries to given low rankings.

Political instability was also listed as a factor for downgrading Arab countries however this did not translate to a lack of safety within the states themselves with all Gulf countries scoring highly on personal safety measures.

InterNations’ Expat Insider surveyed more than 14,000 respondents who represented 174 nationalities and 191 countries or territories. They had their say on moving, living and working abroad.